Packing-ring.



E. F. COOK.

PACKING RING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10. 1915.

Patented Jan. 30,1917.

mwwu Emwem%@r n -an ATENT cannon EUGENE F. COOK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,ASSIGNOR 'IO HARWARD MFG COMPANY,

OF ST. LOUIS MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 191?.

Application filed May 10, 1915. Serial No. 28,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE F. COOK, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Packing-Rings, of which. the following isprovide simple and efiicient means for lubricating the packing rings ofpistons without tending to pass too large a quantity of oil intothecombustion chamber.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which-Figur elevation constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is'an edgeview of the same; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showin thering before a portion of the material chilled in casting has been cutaway; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is asection on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 1.

Packing rings of the type to which my invention is applied areconveniently formed by casting a cylinder of any required length, fromsuitable metal, then sawing or cutting the rings therefrom of thedesired width. The rings are then split or cut across, and a portion ofthe metal removed at the place where the cut occurs so as to permit thering to close up to the correct diameter of the cylinder, and themeeting ends are formed to provide an interlocking joint. In order thatthe ring shall have a substantially true circular form when its ends arepressed together so that it will fit snugly within the cylinder, it isnext placed in a chuck with its ends so pressed together, and turned orground on the outside so as to be made a true circle of the exactdiameter of the cylinder. When released from the chuck the ring has theproperty of being able to spring open or exert radial pressure outward.As thus formed, however, the ring will not exert equal pressurethroughout, but the end portions adjacent to the cut will exert greaterpressure against the wall ofthe cylinder than the portion of the ringopposite the cut. Various means have been devised for e 1 illustrates apacking ring in side overcoming this objection, and producing a ringthat will exert substantially uniform pressure on the wall of thecylinder throughout, the common way being to leave the portion of thering opposite the split of substantially maximum thickness and togradually cut away the ring from such thickened portion to the ends; orelse to cut a groove in a similar way from the thickened portion to theends, so that when the ring is allowed to expand in the cylinder the endportions, containing a less mass of metal, will exert a less pressure,z'. 6., they will tend to spring outward with less force, than if thering were of the same thickness throughout.

It is well-known that in casting metal the portion of the metal comingin contact with the mold or sand is chilled and is therefore harder thanthe metal farther below the surface. In constructing the ring to which.I have applied my invention, the ring is cast in such form that thewalls thereof, for about a third of the way around from the split, arethicker than the remaining third of the ring, and the inner surface ofthe ring, for a depth of a thirty-second of an inch, more or less, willbe of hardened metal, this portion being referred to as the scale. Ithen cut away this scale for about a third of the distance around thering, starting from the split, leaving the scale intact on aboutone-third of the inner circumference of the ring opposite the split. Thescale thus remaining is of harder metal, and consequently more rigidthan the metal compdsing the remaining two-thirds of the ring, so thatin pressing the ends of the ring togather: the machined portions of thering, that is the portions having the scale removed, are bent moreeasily than the remaining portion, and exert a correspondingly lessdegree of pressure when released. The ring thus formed will be placed ina chuck with its ends pressed together, and turned to true circular formin the wellknown way. A ring so constructed, when in use, will be foundto exert a substantially equal pressure at all points against the wallof the cylinder.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates, generally, apacking ring, and the numeral 2 indicates the hardened or the ringoppositethe split. As shown by of' the scale thereon, indicated by 5.The

scale portion 5 is then cut off from the portions 3, 4, so that, asshown by Figs. 4 and 5,

.the thickness of the portions 3 and 4 of the ring will be equal inthickness to the portion of the ring containing the scale 2, and whichfor purposes of distinction I have indicated by the numeral 6. A ringconstructed in this way may be produced at relatively low cost, willwear uniformly in use, and will yield the maximum of efliciency in operation. The joint at the meeting ends of the ring illustrated in Fig. 2,and indicated, generally, by the numeral 7, -is claimed in a companionapplication filed of even date herewith.

In order to distribute the lubricant between the packing ringand thewall of the cylinder and at the same time reduce to the minimum theliability of the rin to permit more oil to pass by the ring 1nto thecombustion chamber ,of the cylinder than is necessary for lubricatingpurposes, I have discovered that an arrangement of oil grooves, forexample, as illustrated in Fig. 2 will accomplish the above objects in a.thoroughly eflicient manner. This novel arrangement may comprise twoseries of discontinuous or short superficial grooves 8, 8 and 9, 9,respectively. That is, the grooves constituting each series areseparated from each other in a circumferential direction. The series 8,8 extend partially around the periphery of the ring near one edgethereof.

And the series of grooves 9, 9 extend in a similar manner around theperiphery of the ring near its opposite edge. The two series of groovesare separated from each other in a longitudinal direction on the pistonring, that is, in a direction parallel with the axis of the piston, andare arranged in a staggered or unalined relation to each other. Thesegrooves will retain and carry individual quantities of oil, but as theyare independent, that is, not connected, and are at a distance from eachother, and 'do not lie opposite each other except at their end portions,it follows that there can be no flow or circulation of the oil aroundthe ring with the tendency of the oil to continuously pass through atsome point which might chance to fit the cylinder less snugly than otherparts, and where the oil can pass by the ring into the cylinder; andthere is very little or no tendency for the oil from one groove to getinto another groove, which might result in an excess of oil collectingat some point in the ring where, as before,

the fit of the ring in the cylinder might be less tight than at otherpoints, and through the opening thus provided allowing the oil to passinto the combustion chamber.

By the term superficially I mean that the grooves are formed in theouter surface of the ring and do not extend through its inner surface;these grooves are capable of retaining a liquid lubricant. They arepreferably shallow as shown, but this is not essential.

A further'importaht features in connection with the oil-carrying groovesis the I fact that they terminate-short of the joint on either side ofthe split. It follows that 30 the oil cannot flow into-the joint fromthe oil-carrying grooves and thus getunder the ring and carbonize; norcan the oil, in such manner, pass into the joint from the grooves andthrough the joint to the com- 35 bustion chamber.

It will, of course, be clear that in the case of a ring of less widththan that indicated on the drawing I can employ a single line of groovesinstead of a double'line, the idea being that the grooves are notconnected with each other nor with the joint.

The arrangement of oil grooves described is of pronounced advantage inconnection with my improved form of ring for the rea- 5 son that thesnug and uniform fit of this ring ,with the cylinder is insured, andhence the grooves act with the maximum efliciency in uniformlylubricating the cylinder with- .out carrying any excess of oil to thecombustion chamber which, as is well-known, is very objectionable.

The feature of having the ends of the oil grooves adjacent to theopening in the ring terminating short of said opening would be of greatimportance even were a COI1tl11l10115- oil groove employed, as is nowthe custom, in place of the separated grooves contemplated by thepresent invention.

I claim: 1. A spring ring for packing pistons, operating to exert asubstantially constant resilient pressure against the cylinder wallcompletely around its circumfererence, said ring having a series ofperipherally short oil-retaining pockets formed superficially andextending around its periphery, said pockets being independent andseparated from each other in a circumferential direction around saidring to prevent draining of the oil from any pocket into the next.

2. Aspring ring for packing pistons, operatingto exert a substantiallyconstant resilient pressure against the cylinder wall completely aroundits periphery, said ring having two series of peripherally shortoilretaining grooves formed superficially around its periphery, thegrooves of each series being independent and separated from each otherin a circumferential directlon naienae around said ring to preventdraining of the oil from any groove into the next groove of the sameseries, and one of said series of grooves being separated from theother. series of grooves in a longitudinal direction on the packingring.

3.. A spring ring for packing pistons, operating to exert asubstantially constant resilient pressure against the cylinder Wallcompletely around its circumference, said ring having two series ofperipherally short oil-retaining grooves fgrmed superficially in andextending partially around its periphery, the grooves of each seriesbeing independent of each other and separated 15 from each other in acircumferential direction around said ring to prevent draining of theoil from any groove into the next groove of the same series, and one ofsaid series of grooves being separated from the other se- 20 Intestimony whereof, I have hereunto set 25 my hand.

EUGENE F. COOK.

